New Brother New Time
by the God Hand
Summary: Naruto, in a last stand against Madara, is somehow inadvertantly thrown around 38 years into the past. He wakes up in a younger version of his body and the Konoha medics mistake him as the lost younger brother of a young war orphan—Namikaze Minato...
1. Chapter 1: So Many Possibilities

**A/N**: I know some of you might be annoyed that I'm suddenly writing another fic while still in the process of writing my other one. Don't worry; I'm simply trying to stimulate interest in the Time/Timeline Travel plot category by putting a few stories of my own out there. I will also be posting **a challenge at the bottom of this fic**, so be sure to check it out and consider its potential.

I'll still be continuing Reverse Destiny so all's well. In fact, I'm almost done with Chapter 4 so be sure to watch out for the update. That's all for now folks. Enjoy!

Summary: Naruto, in a last stand against Madara, is somehow inadvertently thrown around thirty-eight years into the past. He wakes up in a younger version of his body and the Konoha medics mistake him as the lost younger brother of a young war orphan—Namikaze Minato.

Disclaimer: I would think up a clever and original disclaimer but I'm just too lazy for that, so…yeah. I don't own Naruto…

**Chapter 1: So Many Possibilities**

The very air was oppressive in its nature as Naruto tried desperately to breathe it in. He knew he was meant to die at this exact moment but even after all the grueling physical training he'd endured throughout his life, he seemed to be unable to control his bodies reaction to the pain in his lungs. Why was he to suffer? Why, when everything seemed to be over and done with?

He couldn't guess the answer as his mind finally seemed to start shutting down, the pain gradually dimming. The last thing he saw in his mind's eye was the image of Madara's Sharingan, and he took pride, perhaps a bit foolishly, in the subtle hint of visible desperation that he had caused the former Uchiha patriarch in the ending moments of their battle. He didn't know what had happened at that point but he was pretty sure he had taken Madara with him at the very least.

His slow thoughts drew out even more leisurely until they finally came to an abrupt halt. Naruto welcomed the darkness of death with a smile. His only regret was that he would not get the chance to achieve his childhood dream, nor would he be allowed to see the Will of Fire come to pass onto the future generations of Konoha. Truly, it was a pity.

Naruto opened his eyes with distinct confusion and grogginess. It felt like he had slept in too late after a night of binge drinking and multiple fights. He felt sore in every muscled area of his body, more so than he had ever before and that was saying something. Suddenly his senses rushed back to him and he was immediately disoriented. He could hear faint voices in the background.

"—found him on the streets—"

"—how— survived?"

"—can't believe we missed him—"

"—war orphan. I think he's related to anoth—"

"—Namikaze?"

He opened his eyes and wheezed. He determined he had to be in a hospital because of the distinct and mildly repulsing variety of smells like blood and antiseptic, among other things, and the white walls that surrounded him. He had also through a bit of experience come to recognize the way and tone in which doctors or medical personnel spoke when referring to a patient—the perks of having an extremely skilled medical ninja on his team.

He shook his head a bit when he thought of that. Wasn't he supposed to be in heaven? Or hell, if the gods had it in for him as much as he thought they did? It was hard to believe he had seemingly yet again survived a battle in which he rightfully should have died, a battle he was surer than any other he shouldn't have come back from. He scowled a bit but tried to get back to reality to listen to the conversation currently being held outside his door.

He had caught a few snippets from the conversation only moments ago, but it hadn't made any sense to him. He strained his ears and listened intently.

"The resemblance is uncanny. Their facial structure is a bit different but besides that, they are no doubt related to some extent," he heard one medic say.

"He has no existing records though…how odd. Someone has to have been taking care of him, if only slightly," the other voice replied.

"Yes, it's interesting that we have no records on him…still, it's not entirely uncommon. This is a ninja village and with those problems we had a few years ago…well, that kind of explains it…though I am surprised none of the ANBU patrols ever came across him before now," another offered.

He heard a pause and some shuffling and muttering before who he presumed to be the superior of the group speak. "Ah, yes. The match is definite. This boy is related to another young war orphan…a Namikaze Minato if I'm correct. It would make sense because the boy's parents died a little over a year after he was born. He seems no more than a year younger, if that. I'm sure they're brothers, though I wonder at the circumstances of their apparent separation. Just another unfortunate mishap in the system, I suppose…"

Naruto didn't register the sad sigh the man gave as the medical personnel and the superior seemed to leave and head on to discuss another patient. His eyes were wide with both shock and confusion and he couldn't make sense of what was going on now. All of what those outside his door earlier had spoken of was a bunch of nonsense. _What's going on?_

Naruto forced himself to calm. He tried the breathing exercises that had been taught to him long ago when he had first tried controlling the Kyuubi with Jiraiya. It wasn't long before he managed to steady his heart rate and still his whirling thoughts. He tried putting the pieces together to form a plan of action.

From what he had heard mentioned of his deceased father, those medics were just now finding the relation between Minato and him. That was odd because it was an open secret that the Fourth Hokage was his father. But the context in which they spoke implied some kind of past tense and they made the mistake of assuming he was the Yellow Flash's brother…which was impossible because Minato had been dead for about twenty-two years now.

He tried sitting up despite the pain it caused him and managed to do so after a bit of struggle. He glimpsed a shining object in front of him and noticed it was a mirror on the wall directly in front of the hospital bed. He looked up to view his reflection absently and did a double-take.

His voice was somehow constricted so he didn't even manage to gasp as he looked into the mirror only to be looked down upon by what seemed to him to be an entirely different person. Well, not person, more like _child_.

He looked on with wonder and noticed he had the body of what seemed like a three or four year old. If he remembered correctly, this was what he had looked like when he had been that young. There was however one thing missing. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt his stomach drop when he noticed he no longer had his trademark whisker marks on either cheek of his face.

_What the hell's going on? _Naruto thought while looking through his now empty mindscape. The sewer was still there but it lacked water. It also lacked any trace of the Kyuubi's presence, and that was setting him on edge.

Before he could start hyperventilating, a thought occurred to him. He remembered the desperate look in Madara's eyes and how shortly after, he had thought they both died. But was that really the case?

Now that he thought about it, aside from feeling like his lungs had been crushed, he had also felt a spinning sensation. Everything around him currently could have been a genjutsu, but all of his instincts were telling him it was reality, and he was pretty confident it was. The question was, then, where had Madara sent him with his time/space jutsu ability?

After going over his situation a few more times and remembering what the medics had spoken of, it suddenly dawned on him what this could possibly be the result of. He was, of course, thinking of time travel.

It seemed impossible, but as he thought about it, he couldn't refute that it appeared to be the only plausible explanation. There were however, many unaccounted variables in that. One was that he had been sent back in the body of his three or four year old self. Another was that he seemed to have lost the Kyuubi.

He didn't know how his whisker marks were gone; he'd always thought they were birth marks. He supposed being transported to a time likely before his mother had become the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi had caused him to lose the connections he had to it. It was only a theory but it was solid so he went with it.

From what had been said, he inferred that he had to be in Konoha. He also inferred that Minato, the Yondaime Hokage had to be a very young child, just like him at this point. The medics seemed to have mistakenly assumed he was Minato's younger brother, and that they had been somehow separated when Naruto was born; apparently after Minato's parents had died.

The situation was so surreal that Naruto could do nothing more than gape in the empty halls of his mindscape. His mind was a jumble of thoughts, of how he was in the past and that his father was alive, and that _he was in the past_!

He wasn't sure how long it took for him to calm down and think at a steadier pace, but he managed it. Now there was only the matter of planning his next move. His thoughts once again went into turmoil as he thought quickly about what he should do. There were so many things to change…

The doctor smiled down at Naruto in a disarming manner and Naruto internally grimaced. He had been waiting for this moment since yesterday. They needed to release him, and find out his name for that matter, since he seemed all healed up save for the soreness of his muscles.

"What is your name, child?" she asked gently.

"Isamu," Naruto replied, trying his best to look shy and naïve.

The name meant courage—bravery. It had been a name some had called him after witnessing some of his exploits before and during the war. It wasn't really a name that suited him, he supposed, but he couldn't use Naruto or else his parents may not name their future child Naruto.

"I see," she stated, still smiling, "do you have anyone to go to? Anyone to take care of you?"

Naruto made sure to look a bit sad before he answered. "Takumi-baa used to help me. She even taught me to talk, but she's gone now..."

Naruto had made up 'Takumi-baa.' He had only mentioned that the imaginary woman had helped him to make it seem like an old woman was simply helping a homeless child in need. Adding "baa" would contribute to the made-up person's old age and would perhaps help the medics come to the conclusion that the old woman had possibly died or left.

Naruto also knew that Takumi was a fairly popular name, at least in his time, and it was likely to throw off anyone that would try to dig up information on him or his imaginary caretaker, though he didn't believe that would happen. After all, he was just some nameless three year old; there was no chance someone so young could be a spy and he had proof of blood ties to another known villager—the young Namikaze Minato.

All in all, his fake background story was coming along nicely. Judging by the sympathetic look the doctor was giving him, it was a pretty believable tale anyway.

After asking for some more information on Naruto's imaginary caretaker—without any real success since he had said he only knew her first name and that she had grey hair and a wrinkled face—the doctor had told Naruto carefully that he had an older brother that lived in an orphanage in the village.

Naruto had acted both confused and surprised. He made it seem like he didn't know what a "brother" was, which was understandable and made his story/act more believable, so the doctor had explained a few things. Naruto made sure to seem happy that he had a brother after the false confusion was cleared up.

The doctor had gone on to say that Naruto would now go stay with his brother at the orphanage. They had already made arrangements for him to go there and soon a Chunin of the village came to escort him to his new home. He couldn't believe that things had worked so well in his favor, or that his new name now was Namikaze Isamu.

Naruto had been there when the matron at the orphanage had told Minato that he now had a responsibility in the form of his long lost younger brother. Minato had seemed utterly surprised but he was soon in acceptance of his new situation. He introduced himself and made sure Naruto knew everything about the orphanage that he needed to know; well, as much as a four year old kid could anyway. Naruto was surprised he hadn't questioned him more but he chalked it up to being young and probably lonely.

It was an odd experience for Naruto. In the week that he had so far stayed and became accustom to the orphanage, his 'brother' had started developing protective tendencies, even at the age of four. Minato always made sure he had enough to eat at their mealtimes, and he followed him around a lot now to make sure he was watched after and taken care of.

Naruto smiled at the care and brotherly love Minato had already developed for him. They were still getting to know one another but Minato was determined in the duty he felt he had to the last remaining part of his family. He promised himself he would do his best to help Minato in turn.

Naruto observed his 'brother' with a stoic expression. That was what he did after all when something important had been introduced to him or someone he cared about, and that's just what had happened. Just thirty minutes earlier, the Hokage had finished telling a group of orphans that were in the age-range of five to eight years old that if they were interested in becoming ninja of the village, they should tell the matron so they could be enrolled in the Shinobi academy that month.

Naruto being five now and Minato likewise six, were both in that group. Minato seemed to go into a rare serious mood after the Hokage had finished while Naruto had started on some deep thinking of his own before noticing the future Fourth Hokage's expression.

"What should we do now, Minato-nii?" he asked with his usual calm and nonchalant voice.

It was a huge personality change from back when he had first been a child. He had cultivated this new attitude so as to further stimulate the likeness between him and his 'brother.' He also wanted to be different from his future self just in case. It wasn't entirely inconceivable for the future Naruto to not be born if he was too much alike, or any other number of differences to the original timeline.

He was really just acting like his former (and currently unborn) sensei, Kakashi, with a bit of differences of course…like not reading porn ten hours a day, or appearing late anywhere, or making up ridiculous excuses if he accidentally _was_ late. And he was doing a good job so far, at least in his own opinion.

"I want to be acknowledged…" Minato started hesitantly. "I want to be acknowledged by everyone in the village and become a great Hokage, and I want you to be there with me. We should become the best ninja we can be!"

Naruto smiled and chuckled a bit at Minato's eager tone and excited face. He had to agree with his mother that his father really did look too flaky to proclaim something so momentous at this age. It was odd seeing him act and look this way now, when in the future he would become a powerful and fearsome ninja.

"Then we'll become great ninja—together," Naruto said matter-of-factly.

Minato nodded with a small grin before his expression suddenly sobered. "Isamu…"

Naruto glanced over at him from the corner of his eye. "Hm?"

"Well, that was my dream, but what's yours?" he asked after a pause. "Why do you want to be a ninja?"

Naruto had expected as much. "I want to protect my brother and help him achieve _his_ dream."

Minato smiled and shook his head slightly. "That should be my job," he said.

Naruto looked up into the night sky and paused for dramatic effect before replying. "Me and you, Minato…we'll be the best. We'll _both_ be acknowledged as the best, and when you become the Yondaime, I'll be your right-hand-man."

Minato's grin came back twice as big. He shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded before gazing up at the stars just as Naruto was. He made sure to imprint this moment into his memory. It was truly the happiest moment of his entire life so far; he hoped he could experience times like this as he grew up and became a ninja with his brother.

Their entrance into the academy had been fairly difficult at first. Both Minato and Naruto had demanded that they be placed in the same class together despite the age difference. At first, the Chunin that sorted them wouldn't allow it but had soon gotten fed up and arranged for Naruto to take a test to see if he was suited for the six-year age group.

The five-year age group was really only there to teach the kids to read and master basic math and first aid. There wasn't much too it and Naruto already knew everything the academy itself could teach him…well, save history of course. He didn't know too much about the village's exact history, which he was regretting a bit now that he was stuck in the past.

The orphanage had a few people that taught children willing to learn and not disrupt the learning environment so Minato had been there since age four and Naruto had started going with him after awhile. They just so happened to teach basic math and reading skills in the orphanage so he had a good excuse for advanced knowledge.

After quickly passing the test, he had been begrudgingly allowed to enter into the year-six academy class.

Naruto realized they put kids through a tougher program in times of war. First, instead of entering the academy at the usually mandatory age eight and graduating at twelve, one entered years earlier and graduated years earlier. The students also had longer school days and only had Sunday off every week. It definitely posed more difficulty than the peacetime academy requirements.

Naruto stood up with a small smile as it was finally his turn to introduce himself and tell of his dream. "I am Namikaze Isamu. My dream for the future is to become a great ninja with my brother and help him achieve his goals."

Naruto sat back down and was amused to see the majority of the class still muttering over the new student still standing in front of the class. They were really just doing this for the sake of the new student. They had already introduced themselves at the beginning of the year, about three weeks ago.

Naruto had initially been surprised when a young and nervous looking girl with striking and oddly styled red hair had walked in with a Chunin escort. She had a round face as well and he instantly knew who this girl was—the second Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and his mother-to-be, Uzumaki Kushina.

He had managed to stop from gasping at the sight of her mostly because he had anticipated something like this happening at some point. As the class finished with their introductions, he listened intently to what his mother would say now that it was her turn, even though he already knew.

After a bit of indecision, she spoke loudly and it seemed her nervousness was gone. "I'm Uzumaki Kushina, and I'm gonna' be the first female Hokage!"

The muttering became progressively louder until many of the students were either snickering or jeering at her for making such a preposterous claim. Naruto had forgotten how annoying and mean kids could be.

"You dumb tomato-girl!" one student shouted.

Soon, many of the males were calling her tomato and from the dark look Kushina's face was starting to show, Naruto didn't think her reputation as the 'Bloody Habanero' would be long awaited. He chuckled a bit at the thought. The kids that had just made fun of his mother would soon come to regret it.

"Hey, can I borrow a pencil, Inoichi?" Naruto asked to the blonde sitting to the left of him.

"Sure thing, Isamu," Inoichi replied absently as he tried to pay attention to the dispute between two students going on a few rows below theirs.

Naruto smirked as he grabbed the pencil from his distracted classmate. He now knew where Ino had gotten her nosiness from. It seemed that Inoichi wasn't as different from his daughter as Naruto had initially thought. Actually, all members of the original Ino-Shika-Cho trio acted like their respective future children to a certain degree.

Naruto found it very nostalgic and had often almost slipped up by calling to one of his classmates using the name of their child-to-be. It rarely happened but he still couldn't shake the habit so far.

"Alright kids, that's enough!" Hideki-sensei shouted irritably from the front of the class.

Naruto didn't mind learning from him. He reminded him a lot of Iruka but instead of the monotonous and dull voice Iruka had taught with, this man actively tried to make things more interesting. Naruto couldn't deny the man was creative in his teaching methods.

Soon the classes were over and they were dismissed. "Well, that's it for today. Remember to study and try to memorize the fundamental fuinjutsu theories we've been working on," the Chunin started, "if any of you are at all interested in it, I'll be holding an after-school class in an hour to lecture on some history of fuinjutsu."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that and sighed when he saw the deciding gleam in Minato's eye. Minato was always eager to know everything and always stayed completely attentive in class whereas a good amount of their peers mostly faked their interest.

Naruto himself was surprised by how much the material in class caught his own interest. He knew it was difficult to stay on task when your teacher was talking on and on about how one marking attached to another and a single perfect circle was important to many specific seal formulas.

No matter how creative a teacher was, it was an uphill battle for any eight year old to really keep focused on the subject like a few in the class were. Naruto didn't have a doubt that if he was truly a seven year old, or even eight like the majority of the class were, all of this information would pass through one ear and out the other.

As it was though, he wasn't mentally seven, and he could always appreciate the obscure teachings of fuinjutsu. He had known of its potential when he'd first learned about the fact that the Fourth Hokage had used a seal to trap the most powerful tailed beast inside him when he was a baby.

He had never had any patience for the difficult art though and as far as he could recall, they'd never taught as much about fuinjutsu in his first time through the academy as they did here. He now had that needed patience due mostly to the war and his current situation.

He also was now more than ever truly aware of the things he could do with the sealing arts and how much it could help him should he ever have to fight Madara again. Back then he'd relied mostly on the Kyuubi and Sage Mode, but he couldn't use either; Kyuubi, because he no longer held it and Sage Mode because it would arise too much suspicion unless used secretly.

Still, things were going well so far and he had a lot of time to simply hold off and wait until he had a chance to make true differences. In the meantime though, he would train like crazy to regain some lost abilities and create some as well to make up for what he couldn't use. He could already see himself utilizing his wind element to the greatest degree…

"Jiraiya," the Third Hokage started to gain the attention of one of the three students standing in his office. "Please stay. I wish to discuss something with you privately."

As Orochimaru and Tsunade left, Jiraiya sighed and waited for his sensei to start speaking. He wasn't sure if it was to reprimand him for getting caught peeking at the bathhouse recently or to just talk about something concerning his training; nonetheless, he gave his full attention.

"You may not be aware but the Genin examinations are but a week from now," Hiruzen started and Jiraiya was suddenly dreading where this was going. "There are many promising young graduates to choose from this year and I would like for you to consider taking on a team of your own."

"But sensei," Jiraiya whined, "I don't want to have to deal with bratty Genin! It's a waste of valuable research time!"

The Third Hokage gave a deadpan stare and coughed into his hand a bit before sighing. "At least look into the academy files, Jiraiya. I know how you taught those children from Ame to protect themselves a few years ago. Since then, most of the other nations have agreed to disarmament acts. In fact, we are already on the way to creating neutrality treaties with Suna, Kumo and Iwa.

"In the time of peace that will inevitably follow the war, you will be serving an important purpose. You will be passing on your will to Konoha's next generation."

Jiraiya looked more seriously at his teacher before sighing in defeat. "Why me though, sensei?"

The Hokage smiled before replying. "Tsunade already has her time occupied with running the medical ninja training program and I really don't believe Orochimaru is quite ready for students. You, however, have already gained some experience in teaching and I trust you to take your responsibilities the most seriously."

Jiraiya could only crack a prideful smile at the confidence his sensei had placed in him. "Alright, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Let's see those files Sarutobi-sensei."

After going through the list of the pre-graduates, Jiraiya had his eyes set on two in particular. "A lot of these kids were already requested because of how late you told me about becoming a Jonin-sensei," Jiraiya started absently, "but I guess it doesn't really matter. Most of those kids were from certain clans anyway."

Sarutobi nodded pleasantly. "Yes, many of the Jonin have noticed the potential of the students this year. My young cousin Kouta-kun is already certain to lead the three heirs of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akimichi. Many have also placed much interest in the two Hyuuga boys, the Inuzuka heir and the young Aburame heir."

"Yeah," Jiraiya muttered. "What can you tell me about those two blonde kids there?"

Hiruzen smirked at the pictures of the two boys he was talking about. "I was wondering when you would ask me about them. The Chunin instructors, and many others for that matter, refer to them as the 'Namikaze Brothers.' The younger of the two is named Isamu and his older brother is Minato. They are both very talented."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "More like a couple a' geniuses. Their records are practically perfect. A lot of Jonin are requesting these two."

The Hokage chuckled a bit before responding. "Yes, I myself was surprised by all that I heard about them after one of the instructors felt it necessary to inform me of their prowess while I visited the academy."

"Really?" Jiraiya asked with more interest. "What can they do?"

"Well, for one, I hear they are both interested in fuinjutsu and both have apparently shown some talent in the basics. They each are very perceptive and the instructor told me their individual skills are greater when placed together. According to him, Isamu-kun shows skill in close and mid-ranged combat while Minato-kun shows skill with long to mid-ranged combat."

"Hmm," Jiraiya mumbled. "They really compliment each others' abilities. What do they want to do with their careers as Shinobi?"

"Their goals are quite admirable actually," Sarutobi replied with a fond smile. "Minato wishes to gain the acknowledgment of the village and become Hokage. Isamu has only expressed that he hopes to become a great Shinobi alongside his brother and help Minato to the top."

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile at how good-natured and strong-willed the two brothers seemed to be. From what he could tell, they were both hard working and focused on achieving their dreams. It was proven by how strong they had gotten so far without any parental guidance. He respected their resolve greatly.

"I want those two," Jiraiya stated after a minute of silent thinking. "And this girl, Kiku Midori. She shows some ability with genjutsu. She can be the support member with her talents; maybe even get some training in medical-jutsu. They would be a good team."

The Hokage smiled with a content nod. "With proper guidance, I have no doubt they will do great things. Good luck, Jiraiya. I will inform you of when to meet them next week. "

-This story just came to me and I wrote it on a whim really. I couldn't get it out of my mind so I decided to see where I could go with it. Wish me luck, Readers!

**And here's the Challenge**:

-Someone, PLEASE TAKE IT!

-I'm not quite sure what I should name the challenge…I guess you could call it the 'Misty Past Challenge.' Heh…it's kinda' corny, I know, but I don't know what else to call it, so unless anyone can offer a cooler name, I'll stick to that.

-Firstly, I would like to state that those who take up this challenge don't have to use Naruto himself as the "time-traveler," though it is strongly preferred. For the sake of this challenge though, I will assume you are using him.

-Naruto gets sent back in time to around the time of his birth, but NOT in Konoha.

-He wakes up, or "lands," or whatever, in a small town (preferably). This town is conveniently in Water Country and perhaps near the Hidden Mist Village. It is up to you to decide how he ended up getting thrown back in time or to a different timeline or whatever.

-After figuring out his situation (the time he is in, his location, etc.), he concludes it is probably unwise to head back to Konoha for whatever reason.

-After training for a year or two, or maybe three or four, (preferably in fuinjutsu, wind ninjutsu, and or something else), while also trying to think on or figure out what he should do with this new opportunity, he hears of the failed Coup orchestrated by Zabuza, which subsequently led to the start of the civil war in Kirigakure between the Pro-bloodline rebellion forces (perhaps led by Mei Terumi's father or something, since she would be a bit too young (17-19 years old)) and the Anti-bloodline forces, obviously led by Yagura (under Madara's control, preferably). Zabuza's actions don't have to be the starting point of the rebellion, but that seems like a good time for it to set off.

-After much thought, he decides to join the Pro-bloodline side so that he would have a better chance at changing the future for the better once they win (he already knows they will win because the Fifth Mizukage (from his future) had a bloodline and that obviously means the Pro-bloodline side won).

-The Pro-bloodline forces are a bit desperate since their numbers probably aren't great, so they accept Naruto into their forces without too much trouble (though they should have some kind of way to tell whether or not he's a spy or something first, so it doesn't seem too unrealistic). After awhile he gains their trust.

-This is the point where everything deviates. I myself would prefer that Naruto act a bit different from his usual goofy, unintelligent, unperceptive and generally stupid younger self. Maybe you could justify a change by having him previously fight in the Fourth Shinobi War, causing him to mature/harden up or change or something. It's really up to you.

-It's a given that he change his name and appearance as well. Maybe he could dye his hair red (or somehow permanently change it from blonde to a different color) and wear a mask to cover his whisker marks—make it seem like he's a remnant of the Uzumaki clan or something, so he could at least keep his last name and have a connection to his younger self later on when or if he needed it. Fuinjutsu could come into use here if you decide to have him trained in it (by the way, however he learns fuinjutsu, wind ninjutsu, or whatever when he's training in at first is up to you).

-I would prefer he also lose the Kyuubi, though that is up to you as well. Maybe he could still have the ability to go into a weaker Jinchuuriki cloak state and be able to use his super-body flicker, or maybe sense emotions, or form chakra arms (whatever really), but I think it would be wise to make it so Naruto loses the Kyuubi when he is sent back. It would create way too many questions, even if he did make up an excuse like he was similar to Sora from the Fire Temple or something.

-He should keep his abilities with Sage Mode though I suppose his contract with the toads should be void (also up to you). His whole situation with summons should be thought over carefully, actually.

-I'm not sure if you should keep his use of the Rasengan or Rasenshuriken or whatever, though I would prefer he keep it as a prominent technique in his arsenal. I suppose you could justify that by him having others believe he recreated it and perfected it or something.

-I was hoping for one of the major deviations being that Naruto becomes the Fifth Mizukage instead of Mei. It seems unrealistic I know, but if you planned and wrote everything right, it should work. He could win over a great deal of the rebellion forces' praise and trust through coming out successful in numerous battles/missions against the Anti-bloodline forces, or saving various members' lives, or utilizing his friendly and charismatic personality to get people to want to follow him; the list could go on.

-Another factor in this story would be its pairing and I believe it should be fairly obvious—it should be Naruto U./Mei T. It would be up to you to cultivate their relationship throughout the story (if you decided to go through with the pairing). I should have said this at the beginning but I want for Naruto to be around the same age as Mei at first (roughly 18 or 19 preferably, though 19 seems like the best age).

-Around when the younger version of Naruto turns 12 or 13 should be when the rebellion forces finally succeed and from then on try to establish themselves and recover. It would be pretty interesting to see Naruto become the Mizukage and have him attend the Kage Summit later on.

-Anyway, that's about all I could think of for this challenge. A bit much, right? Well, I'm just eager to see where a skilled writer could go with this. I would do it myself, but I'm currently occupied (and having a bit of trouble) with my own time-travel fic. I'm also busy with various other things so even if I endeavored to write it, I would probably only update every few months, if that.

-Good luck!


	2. Chapter 2: Enter Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!

Summary: Naruto, in a last stand against Madara, is somehow inadvertently thrown around thirty-eight years into the past. He wakes up in a younger version of his body and the Konoha medics mistake him as the lost younger brother of a young war orphan—Namikaze Minato.

Disclaimer: I would think up a clever and original disclaimer but I'm just too lazy for that, so…yeah. I don't own Naruto…

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Enter Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!<strong>

"Now…you will all soon be assigned duties by the village," the Chunin instructor Hideki started seriously, "so today we will be creating three-man teams…and each team will have a Jonin-sensei. You will follow that sensei's instructions as you complete the assigned duties. Know now that you were assigned to teams that we felt you all would be suited well to."

Naruto didn't pay much attention to the team placements as Hideki read them off, only waiting for the one he felt was most important. He was fairly confident he would be placed on a team with Minato because of how well they had managed to do when they worked together. It was blatantly obvious that they were better together rather than apart and thus Naruto was pretty sure they would be placed on a team together.

He also hoped Jiraiya would become their teacher as well. Naruto knew Minato's Jonin-sensei from his original timeline had been Jiraiya and he hoped it would be the same even if he had already changed things up a bit. He felt bad that he may have stopped the teammates Minato was supposed to have gotten under Jiraiya but he supposed it was simply an unfortunate necessity. There really were just much more important things to worry about.

"Next, team five—Namikaze Minato, Kiku Midori and…Namikaze Isamu," Hideki announced with a small smirk.

Both Minato and Naruto sighed in relief. The girl known as Kiku Midori simply remained stoic and faced straight ahead while the rest of the class didn't seem too surprised; it was an expected matchup after all. The team placing took another few minutes before Hideki finally finished.

"Alright…this afternoon, we will introduce the Jonin-senseis," the Chunin announced with a smile. "Until then, you may all take a short break."

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><p>Jiraiya walked into the class with a cheerful look on his face. He looked a lot younger—so much so that Naruto couldn't help but internally marvel at how much more youthful he appeared. The red lines that spanned across the future-Jiraiya's cheeks, and even somewhat past his chin, were only down to just above Jiraiya's mouth currently, and there wasn't a wrinkle to be seen on the young Jonin's face.<p>

He wore a fairly different set of clothes than what Naruto remembered. Jiraiya was dressed in what looked to be a standard Jonin uniform. The only differences were the silver metal forearm guards and that the long-sleeved shirt under his Jonin vest and his Konoha headband's cloth was red. His standard Shinobi pants were also red and tied down at the ankles with white tape.

There were few other graduates left in the room and it seemed nobody recognized who Jiraiya was. It wasn't that surprising; Jiraiya, Tsunade and Orochimaru had only recently been dubbed the Sannin a few years ago so they weren't as widely renowned as they were in the future. Even Minato and Midori were ignorant of who it was standing before them.

Naruto looked at Jiraiya intently, hoping with everything in him that the man would pick his team up. He wasn't disappointed.

"Team five, come with me," the white haired man said before turning around and walking back out the door.

Naruto, Minato and their female teammate quickly scrambled after him. Even Naruto was confused as to what was going on. He'd thought that he would have to meet on the roof of the academy but it seemed Jiraiya had something different in mind.

He led them to a distinct training ground in silence and Naruto felt a great wave of nostalgia when they arrived. The three tree stumps in the middle of the grounds and the slightly dense forestry that surrounded them was an easy giveaway as to where they were.

He was already remembering his first time to these grounds when he had graduated in his original timeline. Even as Jiraiya turned around to begin speaking, he couldn't quite block out the wistful feeling he was experiencing.

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><p>Jiraiya felt a bit of amusement at leading the three newly graduated Genin away so abruptly. They were probably nervous, and acting like he was now probably didn't help. Still, they needed to be under a bit of stress for the test he was about to put them through, so it really was probably necessary. He was fairly confident they would pass regardless anyway.<p>

He subtly glanced back at them to observe them further. The sole female of the group looked stoic, if a bit irritated. She had dark brown hair done up with a red hair tie and her headband was fixed securely to her forehead on an equally red cloth. The bangs that framed her face led down to her dry purple, long-sleeved baggy jacket. It had a turquoise collar and there were tan stripes running along the shoulders and arms.

Jiraiya had to raise an eyebrow at the odd match-up of colors. They weren't bright and they oddly didn't clash so he supposed it wasn't too bad. Her pants were the commonly seen dark blue Shinobi slacks and she had on dry purple sandals to go with her jacket. It was a simple getup and Jiraiya didn't see anything out of the ordinary with it.

He turned his attention to the two boys of the group and smirked slightly. They were both dressed in the exact same clothes. If one weren't to focus their attention on the two, they would appear as twins. Jiraiya certainly didn't doubt the two were brothers.

They wore white jackets with three dark blue stripes running down their arms that led to similarly dark blue collars. Their jackets were zipped up midway and Jiraiya could easily make out the fishnet shirts they wore below. They had dark blue Shinobi pants on with white bandages tied around their shins and ankles and simple blue standard ninja sandals.

Their Konoha headbands were tied around their foreheads and helped to keep the spiky blonde hair that framed their faces and heads out of their eyes. Jiraiya liked the style they both had. It was a simple choice of clothes yet the two looked pretty cool still. He wondered why they wore the same clothes but he put it off to them being brothers. They only had each other and were no doubt very close after all. It wasn't too surprising that they would wear the same clothes.

Finally he turned around fully to begin speaking now that they had made it to his old training ground. "Alright," he started as he casually leaned against one of the three training stumps. "Let's start with some introductions. You'll tell me your likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams for the future. I'll go first."

All of a sudden Jiraiya bit his thumb and ran through hand signs at a fast pace and summoned a moderately sized battle toad. As the smoke cleared a clapping sound could faintly be heard until it became more pronounced and more Kabuki dance sounds started up. Minato and Midori looked on in confusion while Naruto tried to hold in his laughter.

Jiraiya started hopping slightly to the right on one leg, in tune with the clapping sound, until he finally stopped and stood on both legs in a wide stance with his arms extended and facing away from his body.

"Behold, little Genin…" Jiraiya began dramatically, "I am known far and wide—from the north to the south, and the east to the west; the ladies can't resist me and men can't help but respect me—the legendary Toad Sage of Myobokuzan…Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya finished it off with a shameless smirk until the toad below him disappeared in a puff of smoke. The smoke quickly dissipated to reveal Jiraiya, smirk still in place, once again leaning casually against one of the three training stumps.

While all three Genin were thinking differently about what they just saw, it was Minato who voiced his thoughts first. "Um, sensei…" he started a bit hesitantly, "you didn't tell us your likes or dislikes…or your hobbies and dream for the future."

Midori seemed to be highly annoyed in the form of a twitching eye while Minato looked a bit sheepish for having pointed out what Jiraiya didn't mention in his introduction. Naruto for his part almost couldn't stop the grin that threatened to overtake his features as Jiraiya face-faulted.

The older man quickly got up and patted himself off while clearing his throat and muttering slightly under his breath. "Right…well, I like researching and I dislike prudes. My hobbies are researching and writing and my dream for the future is to become a great author."

It was a simple albeit very uninformative introduction, Naruto mused. It seemed to pacify Midori and even Minato seemed a bit more content. Naruto however knew that even though Jiraiya wasn't really lying, he was alluding to completely perverted things in what he'd said. He didn't care though; he was just glad his former master was alive.

It was difficult to keep the almost aloof demeanor he'd cultivated the past few years, but he somehow managed it. He wanted to seem as similar to Minato as possible for the sake of his future self while also retaining a unique personality. That was partly why he'd decided to wear the same clothes as Minato. Being in the presence of Jiraiya, however, was almost enough to cause the original 'Naruto' personality to resurface.

Naruto's inner thoughts were interrupted when Jiraiya spoke. "Okay, you on the left, you're up."

Minato nodded in understanding as he stood up to begin. "I am Namikaze Minato. I like training and my brother. I dislike when I cannot understand something. My hobbies are training with my brother and studying jutsu. My dream for the future is to gain the acknowledgement of everyone in the village and become a great Hokage."

Minato smiled and sat back down. Jiraiya nodded to Midori to continue. "My name is Kiku Midori," she began calmly, "I like training and developing my skills in genjutsu. I dislike those who are lazy and uncommitted. My hobbies are training and practicing genjutsu; my dream for the future is to become a strong Kunoichi."

Jiraiya nodded and looked to Naruto with a silent gesture to start his introduction. "I'm Namikaze Isamu," he began, "I like the same stuff as Minato but I only really dislike being underestimated. My hobbies are training with my brother and my dream for the future is to become a powerful ninja and help my brother achieve his dreams."

Jiraiya smiled. "Well, now that we all know each other, it's time to get on to the test."

Naruto made sure his face mirrored the confusion of his new teammates before asking, "What test?"

Jiraiya smirked and it managed to send a shiver down even Naruto's spine. He pulled two bells that hung loosely from a red string from one of his vest pockets and jingled them in front of the three Genin. Naruto already knew where this was going and was secretly happy that the bell-test seemed to be a tradition of sorts—for certain teams at least.

"Well," Jiraiya started with a conspiratorial smirk, "all you three need to do is obtain one of these two bells by any means necessary."

"There are only two, though," Midori stated with narrowed eyes.

Jiraiya gave her a dry stare. "You awe me with your observational awareness."

She glared at him, her eyes staring daggers but kept quiet. Naruto had to admit Jiraiya really had a knack to annoy people he just met. It took awhile for even Naruto to really become endeared to the man. Once you really understood Jiraiya though, there was always a strong bond there.

"As little Midori-chan pointed out, there are only two bells," Jiraiya continued. "That means that only two of you will possibly get a bell and pass. The one who doesn't get one will be tied to a post and forced to go back to the academy for additional training."

"What?" Midori hissed angrily. "That's not a fair test! We went through all those years in the academy to get on a team in the first place only for one third of us to be sent back?"

Naruto was surprised at her outburst. He had always thought she'd had one of those straight-faced and calm personalities. Even in a situation like this, someone like Neji or Sai would never show any extreme outward reaction. It seemed she took the academy lessons to heart and hid her emotions as much as she could manage.

Jiraiya shrugged. "Don't ask me, I didn't make the rules. That's just how it is."

She growled but realized her outburst and blushed slightly before struggling to regain her calm front.

Naruto visibly shrugged before lazily adding, "Whatever. Let's just get it started."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Quite confident, aren't you?"

Naruto said nothing while noticing that Minato was staring at him inquiringly from his side while Midori seemed to turn her glare from Jiraiya to him. He sighed and waited for Jiraiya to begin.

The older man chuckled again and tied the two bells to a thread loop near his pocket. "You guys have two hours. Remember to come at me with everything you've got. Begin!"

Immediately, all three jumped off into different parts of the surrounding forest, Jiraiya smiling slightly in their wake.

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><p>Naruto quickly made his way to Minato, making sure to sound off a low bird-whistled tune they had come up with to inform the other of their presence. Minato looked in the way of the sound from his hiding place and smiled at Naruto's approaching form.<p>

"Minato," Naruto whispered after huddling in next to his pseudo-brother. "I think there is an ulterior motive within this test."

Minato nodded, his face serious and thoughtful. "I suspect that too. It's as if he's deliberately trying to cause conflict among us, or at least Midori and us. This is some kind of psychological tactic, I'm sure of it."

Naruto stared at Minato with slight surprise. He still could never really get used to Minato's amazing intellect. The boy was only ten years old and he was smarter than Naruto had been at age sixteen. The stories that the Yondaime was a rare genius weren't fabricated, that's for sure.

He shook himself from his musings. "Yeah, I think that too. Hmm…Jiraiya-sensei is a Jonin; an elite ninja. We are literally fresh Genin straight out of the academy. There's no way we would be able to defeat him, much less get our hands on those bells unless he's careless."

Minato nodded, his eyes narrowing as Naruto subtly led the conversation.

"Wait a minute, that's it…" Naruto muttered, just loud enough for Minato to hear. He made sure his expression was one of surprise and realization.

Minato raised an eyebrow, patiently waiting for a reply.

"He either wants us to realize we will have to abandon a teammate to accomplish a mission at some point in our careers," Naruto started, and quickly continued as he saw Minato's face turn grim, "or he wants us all to work together to accomplish a goal faster or more efficiently than we would individually."

Minato's eyes widened. "Of course!" he whispered with a smile. "Why didn't I see it earlier? Hideki-sensei always instructed us that Konoha Shinobi are strong because of our great team dynamics!"

Naruto nodded happily. "Plus, based on Jiraiya-sensei's personality, it would seem a lot more likely that he would test us on teamwork rather than abandonment. Unless he's been acting this entire time…"

Minato chuckled a bit, shaking his head slightly at Naruto's speculation. "I don't know what I would do without you, Isamu."

"You would end up as the strongest ninja in Konoha; the Yondaime. Even without me," Naruto stated honestly. Literally

Minato smiled but shook his head. "But you _are_ here with me, and you're one of the smartest people I know. Remember what we said when we were younger?"

Naruto nodded, remembering the time Minato and him had told each other their dreams before they had entered the academy.

Minato looked into the clearing where Jiraiya was now sitting down, writing something in a notebook. "That's going to happen," he said, his face showing fierce determination.

Naruto smiled, suddenly remembering why his father had actually been elected the Fourth Hokage—not just his extreme skill, but his inhuman resolve as well.

"Well," Naruto stated as he stood from his crouched position, "we better go inform Midori. I hope she works with us."

Minato nodded and stood up as well. It was time to get started.

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><p>As the time for the test steadily trickled by, Jiraiya wondered what his Genin were doing. He could feel them moving around and took it as a good sign but he was slightly disappointed none of them had taken the fight to him yet. He was almost positive Minato and Isamu would figure out the test, but there was still some doubt.<p>

He truly hoped they would, and if they didn't…well, no one had to know if he pushed them in the right direction.

His musings were interrupted by the tell-tale whooshing sound of kunai flying at him from behind. He jumped out of the way only to see more flying toward his front. He quickly used the substitution technique to switch himself with a log.

As he stood on a branch away from the clearing, Jiraiya was surprised to hear movement behind him. He jumped into the air just as a large wooden log trap activated from behind and nearly bowled him over. He then quickly escaped the sudden hail of kunai descending from his right with some clever use of ninja wire and landed softly on the ground.

Jiraiya promptly bent backwards to avoid the roundhouse kick his youngest student, Isamu, sent at him as he landed. He was slightly impressed with the boy's speed and natural fighting form. It seemed as if the nine-year old had experience with taijutsu as he glided in carefully with quick offensive strikes, carefully dodging and flowing around Jiraiya's counterstrikes.

Jiraiya swept in low with a strong leg sweep that he knew Isamu wouldn't be prepared for, but as the boy fell to the ground where Jiraiya was about to finish him off with a heel-kick, Isamu speedily went through the hand seals for a substitution technique.

As Jiraiya's foot came down on the log that appeared, his eyes widened, quickly noticing the many explosive tags covering it. He escaped by kicking the log away and rapidly jumping back, only narrowly missing the decent explosion that followed.

Quicker than he thought, he was again under attack. This time though, it wasn't physical. It was nevertheless just as potentially dangerous. He would've smiled at his students' use of team strategy if not for the genjutsu he was currently in the process of dispelling. Luring the enemy in with carefully directed attacks was a common tactic amongst any team, but it was usually only seen in more experienced groups. That they had pulled it off successfully within a relatively short amount of time was doubly impressing.

Of course Jiraiya knew they wouldn't have stood a chance had he been taking the little match seriously. He had been holding back a lot of power and speed when he'd been fighting little Isamu, and he had not extended his senses very far since the start of the test. Still, Minato, Isamu and Midori were each pretty talented and their coordinated assault was clever and impressive. As far as he was concerned, they had already passed.

It took Jiraiya no more than three seconds to dispel the standard Hell Viewing technique that'd been directed at him, but it was enough time for Minato to speed in and grip the bells tied to his pocket. Jiraiya could've grabbed him if he used his superior speed, but he decided it would be wrong if he stopped holding back after all this time.

Jiraiya smiled and righted himself as Minato skidded back about ten meters in front of him after successfully grabbing the bells. The boy's teammates jumped out from their positions and landed next to him, their expressions triumphant.

"Good job, Minato!" Jiraiya praised as he walked up to the group. "Now I suppose you'll give the other bell to your brother, eh?"

Minato's expression turned hard, his sharp blue eyes gaining a powerful edge, though he didn't look especially intimidating—being ten and all. "No. We all understand the true nature of the test. It was to work as a team, despite unfairness or possible defeat and failure. We worked together to obtain the bells, we pass together as a result."

Jiraiya chuckled but nodded. "I'm impressed you guys figured it out so quickly. Yes, teamwork is an essential aspect to Konoha's strength. A great team can do almost anything they put their minds to; trust me, I know. Good job, kiddies. As of today, you are officially Team Five."

Even Midori's stony expression lightened as she smiled. Naruto slung his arm around Minato's shoulder and uncharacteristically (at least in this time period) grinned. Minato mirrored Naruto's smile, though he adopted a solemn air, fully realizing he was on his way to achieving his dream.

Jiraiya grinned as well, his hands on his hips. "Well, this calls for a celebration! Last one to the barbecue stand pays!"

His Genin watched with slight confusion as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, only running in his wake after realizing what he'd said. Jiraiya couldn't help but feel he was going to enjoy his time as an official teacher.

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><p>—I suppose it's not an especially long chapter but it was the best I could do on my busy schedule. I apologize for the late update but I do have my reasons (pretty much all around laziness, though I have been unusually busy). I will try to update faster than I have so far, but I won't make any promises.<p>

—This was more of a filler-chapter than anything. I didn't want to skip over anything important to character development or the smooth progression of the story so you'll see some of these throughout the story.

—Anyway, that's all folks. I'm out.


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